258 EXPEDITION INTO 



the antelope tribe* that is to be met with in Sonthern Africa 

 remote from the sea-coast. It was formerly common in the 

 Cape Colony, and a few are even still i)reserved in the dis- 

 trict of Sw ellendam, a fine of five hundred rix dollars being- 

 attached to their destruction^ unless by special license from 

 Government. In point of shape and size, the bonte-bok 

 bears a close resemblance to the bles-bok, being- equally 

 robust, hump-backed, and broad-nosed, and possessed of 

 the same fine venerable old g'oatish expression ', but it is 

 more remarkably piebald, the leg's being- perfectly white, and 

 the horns black, instead of being- hg-ht-coloured. The two 

 animals have in common, a broad blaze down the fiice, a 

 fjlazcd bluish-white back, wearing- the appearance of a saddle, 

 and fiery red e^^es. The horns are placed vertically on the 

 summit of the head, and both species alike invariably scour 

 against the wind, with their noses close to the ground. 

 Numbers of these antelopes had fallen to our rifles during* 

 the last few days, and several of the common quag-g-a also. 

 That quadruped had now entirely supplanted BurchelFs 

 zebra, and its flesh, although infinitely more jellow, rank, 

 and oily than that of a horse, was greatly esteemed by the 

 Hottentots. 



During- this part of our journey, I ag-ain met A^ith the 

 oryx, or g-emsbok, which splendid antelope has been des- 

 cribed in an earl}' chapter of my narrative, as the animal 

 that in all probability gave birth to the fig-ure of the fiibulous 

 unicorn. When seen en profile the long- straig'ht horns so 

 exact!}'' cover each other, that the existence of two mig-ht 

 almost be doubted ; and whilst rude delineations in this 

 posture have been discovered in many of the Bushmen 

 caves, the alg-azel, a corresponding- species in North Africa, 



* I have retained the term antelope, as applied to the eland, gnoo, koodoo, 

 and others, with the view of avoiding- confusion. The modern classification 

 of these animals will he found in the Appendix, 



